The 3 Hearts of a Demon
by Shinza
Summary: Modern Day A.U. Maka meets a strange boy that reminds her of a Demon from a fairy tale that her mom used to tell her before bedtime. /SoMa/ but other characters will appear.
1. Prologue

**Greetings dear Reader!**

 **I got the idea of this story while reading a side chapter of** ** _Kaichou Wa Maid Sama_** **(yeah, I know my brain makes crazy connections sometimes…). Anyways, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it (even if this is just the prologue).**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Soul Eater_**

* * *

 **Maka**

When I was younger, before Papa came back drunk every night wearing another woman's perfume, Mama would tell me bedtime stories. One of them was about a demon that had befriended a little human girl. At first he just thought of her as a past time, she made his long and dull life interesting, so until he got bored with her, he decided to keep her around.

This softhearted demon possessed 3 magical items that made him to be the strongest demon around. These items were a silk scarf that protected him from all harm, a book that could answer any questions, and his immortal heart.

One very cold winter the little girl fell really sick. There had been a plague going around the village; it wasn't deadly for the grown-ups, but the children would usually get terrible fevers and not make it through the night. Not wanting to lose the source of his distraction so early, the demon gave the little girl his scarf so that she'd never fall ill again.

A few years later, the demon and the girl were still very close friends, but the demon had his domain to rule over, so he didn't have as much time to play with her as when she was younger. One summer evening, after playing hide-and-go-seek with the demon, said demon had to go back to his castle and attend to some urgent demon business. Curious, and having never visited her friend's house, the girl decided to follow him.

To get to the demon's castle you had to go through a cursed forest, but she told herself that as long has she stayed far enough so that she wouldn't be spotted, but close enough as to not lose him, she would end up at his castle in no time.

As the sun began to sink under the horizon, she had trouble seeing were she was going and ended up getting lost. By sundown the villagers started yelling through the forest, looking for the girl that hadn't return home for diner. Alarmed by the ruckus going on in the forest, the demon went to see what was amiss. After a very long night of searching, just as the sun was rising once again, the demon found his friend and gave her his magic book so that if she ever got lost, she could ask the book to show her the way back home.

As the years passed, the girl became a beautiful young woman, and she and the demon became really close. Unfortunately, with her being a human and him a demon, they never told each other that they had fallen in love with one another. Meanwhile, her parents decided that she was of age to find and marry a suitable gentleman, so they decided to send her to the city to meet with respectable suitors.

Without saying goodbye to her very dear friend, she left for the city the very next day. On the way there, her carriage crossed an old bridge that broke under the weight of the horses and fell into the river. When the demon heard that the girl had drowned, he rushed to her side and gave her half of his immortal heart to bring her back to him. Once the demon had given her is last treasure, she knew that she was as much his that he was hers. And up to this day demons would have to give all 3 of their hearts to belong to their soul mates.

But that was just a fairytale... right?

* * *

 **I got a comment saying that the Prologue was 'an unique one-shot fanfiction'. It actually made me (very) happy to know that people liked the fairy tale even if I never intended to make a SoMa DemonxHuman story (and I personally think it was rushed, but that was the point since it was just to get into the story). So I decided to go more into details; if ever you are interested in reading the full fairytale version of** ** _The 3 Hearts of a demon_** **, you can now go check it out :** ** _Soul's 3 Hearts_**


	2. First Heart - The boy and his soul

**Hello again dear Reader!**

 **Please enjoy this first chapter; there will be 2 other chapters to this story!**

 **84 views in under 4 days just for the Prologue O.o THANK YOU! *Bows***

 **Take care!**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Soul Eater_**

* * *

 **Soul**

The first time I met her was on her 18th birthday.

Actually, the first time I saw her was on her 18th birthday, but we officially met about two weeks later. I'll admit, the first impression I had of her wasn't a good one, but I still ended up talking to her the next time we met.

It all started one Sunday morning, during my part-time job. I was finishing up my daily rounds, handing out newspapers throughout Death City, when I arrived to my last stop, the Shibusen Academy. The streets were calm and still bathed in the cool morning shadows as students were already walking up the endless stairway that led to the main entrance.

Parking the newspaper van at the foot of the stairs, I picked up the last two packages that I had to deliver and let out a long sigh as I started climbing towards my destination, one slow step at a time.

About halfway to the top, just when I was thinking that my arms were going to fall off if I didn't take a break soon, a very loud and whiny voice made me look up.

"MAKAAAAA!"

From the top of the stairs I could see a girl, about my age, stomping down the stairs in her battle-boots. She was a sandy blond, wearing the Shibusen uniform with her hair up in twin-pigtails and green eyes burning with anger. She looked down right pissed and ready to murder someone.

"MAKAAAA, WAIT! DADDY'S SORRYYYYY!"

The girl continued going down the stairs, completely ignoring the shouts, but the way her gloved hands balled up into fists, and the fact that she started grinding her teeth together, were a dead giveaway that she was this 'Maka'. A few seconds later I saw a tall and skinny man with flashy red hair, wearing a very grotesque birthday cake shaped hat on top of his head, start running down the stairs after her.

"Don't be like that Maka sweetheart, you're going to make a scene."

The man dressed in a black suit, with a strange cross-shaped tie around his neck, had caught up to her. I decided to keep walking up to their level, watching the father and daughter from the sidelines.

"Maka, stop being stubborn, you're making a scene."

The blond abruptly stopped on the step she had just set foot on, whipping her head around to face her ridiculous looking father with furious green emerald eyes.

"I'm the one making a scene? That's rich coming from you! That was my CLASSMATE you were hitting on! And get that monstrosity OFF of your head!"

With the height difference between the two, and the fact that she was two steps lower than the man with a blinking birthday cake hat on his head, the girl had to tilt her head up to face him, but from my point of view the tall man seemed to shrink under her hard gaze. As I arrived next to the two, I heard her harsh tone dripping with disgust.

"Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday, but do NOT come to my school. Go find yourself a job instead."

With that, she turned around, leaving a very sad looking redhead standing there before he started going down the stairs again, screaming after her.

"MAKAAAAA…!"

Once they were out of earshot I finally reached the top, welcoming the cool breeze as I entered the large building to drop off my last delivery of the day. After this I had all the time in the world to go back to my apartment and sleep the day away.

Or so I thought. I had barely laid my face down on top of my pillow that my cellphone started ringing from the bottom of my jeans' pocket. Closing my eyes I decided to just let it go to voicemail. The fourth time it went off I buried my head into my pillow, using it as leverage to lift the top half of my body and go dig out the annoying thing from the bottom of my pants. Checking the caller ID I let out an exasperated grunt as the phone started ringing for the fifth time, the name 'Goody-two-shoes' appearing on the caller-ID. I definitely was NOT going to answer that, and silenced my phone before throwing it towards my dresser were it landed inside the laundry basket.

An hour later I was woken up by a continuous pounding on my front door. Sluggishly getting out of my bed, eyes half lidded with exhaustion and my mind fogged with sleep, I mechanically reached for the doorknob. Opening the door to my apartment had finally stopped the awful ruckus. I stared blankly at the newcomer… before slamming the door closed and heading back to bed. I let myself fall face first onto my covers, casing my head into my pillow to stifle the sounds if ever the pounding started again. Luckily it didn't. Unfortunately that didn't stop the unwanted guest from entering my home.

"Good to see you too little brother."

"Go away, Wes."

My voice was muffled by the pillow, but I knew he had heard me just fine.

"It's good to see you alive and kicking. And since you don't seem to have gone deaf or mute, you should be able to answer a phone."

"Battery's dead", I deadpanned.

He probably knew I was lying, but I honestly didn't care right now. I just wanted to go back to sleep. A complicated task since Wes didn't seem to notice that I was trying to ignore him, and thus prattled on :

"Your letterbox was empty, that means you must have seen the invitation that mother had sent you two weeks ago. She's waiting for you to RSVP it."

"Burned it."

I heard him let out a long sigh before adding in a weary voice :

"Soul… "

I lifted my head from under the pillow, eyeing my older brother. Wes was leaning against my bedroom door, wearing a blue suit under a long brown coat, his white hair was combed back, a feat I've never been able to achieve with my own hair, and dark bags could be seen under his tired red eyes. If we didn't have the 10 years difference, we probably could have been twins. I didn't actually hate my brother, and he was the only Evans that didn't treat me like I was a roach that they had accidently stepped on and that had sullied their shiny new Markowski dress shoes.

"What do you want, Wes?"

"The theater's pianist broke her arm last night and-"

"No."

"-AND I need to find a replacement for the party in two weeks."

I stuffed the pillow back over my head has he continued:

"You won't have to play during the garden party, but we need someone for the representation, and I know that you've worked on _Swan Lake_ already."

I didn't move from my spot under the pillow, staying silent for a few minutes before he took that as a sign to go on, and spoke up again.

"If you agree, I could arrange it so that father's not around when you come to the theater to rehearse with the dancers."

I could only let out a long sight. Wes knew I would never refuse him a favor.

"Fine. But you owe me big time, Wes."

The next two weeks were quite uneventful. My brother had kept his word and the director of the theater, our father, was always out when I came for the daily rehearsals. My parents had always made Wes and I help out at the Death City's Evans Theater Hall. Let it be in the ticket booth, cleaning up after a show, helping out backstage or even filling out for a musician. Our father had told us that, one day, we will have to take over the business and needed to know just how everything worked if we wanted it to keep flourishing, to uphold the Evans' traditions and family name with honor. Good thing my brother was a 'reliable, talented and trustworthy son. A true Evans', has my father would put it. Because I certainly wasn't in his eyes, even if I did have the Evans white hair, red eyes and sharp teeth.

On the day of the party I decided to wear my black pinstriped suit with a red dress shirt. This wasn't a recital, and I wasn't counting on staying after the ballet since I had absolutely no intention of seeing my parents, but old habits die-hard so I took out the formal attire.

I knew every note by heart, every silence and crescendos, every beat and fermata,... and yet I was still nervous. When the curtains were drawn open my palms were getting sweaty as I let my shaking hands hover over the keys, waiting for the maestros' signal. When my fingers hit the first keys, they started moving on their own accord, each notes hit to the perfection, none added and none left out. Before I knew it, it was over.

After the bows under thunderous applauses, I got up and tried mingling with the guests leaving the theater. I knew my plan had failed when someone in a dark gray suit grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the twin glass doors leading to the garden party.

"Leaving so soon little brother? You did great! I'm sure mother and father would like to give you a word of praise."

Wes, ever the optimistic goody-two-shoes that wanted everyone to love and be at peace with each other. He was the only reason that I stayed until my 18th birthday at the Evans mansion, if it wasn't for his role as moderator in this family, I would have left before my 16th birthday.

As he pulled me along I took in a deep breath and put on my best poker face. What ever my parents said, I would not let their words move me. All they will get is a bored blank stare from me, and if they really did praise me, maybe I could spare them a nod.

I noticed my father first. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a white dress shirt and a black bow tie, his white hair was combed back like Wes', and his ruby red eyes sparkled with amusement as he laughed at something, a glass of champagne in one hand while the other rested gently at the base of my mother's back. She was wearing a deep blue backless dress, with her honey colored hair held up in a complex bun. Her blue eyes spotted Wes and she pointed us out to my father as we closed in on them. When we stopped in front of them, my father turned around, his stoic mask was back on, giving us a curt nod as he greeted us.

"Wes, Soul."

Wes was the first to reply. I was just praying that my poker face would stay intact until this conversation, bound for disaster, ended.

"Hello mother, father. I ran into Soul on my way here. Wasn't his playing remarkable?"

I wanted to glare at my treacherous brother, but kept my cool and composed demeanor. I'd get my revenge later. My attention went back to my parents when my father surprised me by speaking up first:

"Yes, he did as good as Nygus would have."

I was concentrating really hard not to let anything show, but this was probably the closest thing to a compliment that I had ever gotten from my father. My budding feeling of joy was quickly squashed when my mother added:

"Yes, thank you Soul dear for covering for our poor pianist on such short notice. Breaking her arm one month before the 100 year anniversary of this theater really was bad luck."

This time I turned to my brother, raising one brow in question:

"One month, really? Then breaking her other arm two weeks ago… she must really have poor luck indeed."

From the corner of my eye I saw my parents look at me in confusion while my brother cleared his throat and started steering me away from the couple. When we were far enough I let my frown show, stuffing my hands into my pockets as I shrugged away from my brother's hold.

"A MONTH?"

"I'm sorry Soul, I was waiting for you to RSVP the invitation to tell you about it, but you never replied… You were the best pianist I knew that could pull it off in under a month, and look, I was right! Father even praised you!"

I stayed silent for a few minutes, scolding at the buffet behind him, the gears in my head working down the logic.

"When did mother send the invitations?"

For the first time in many years, I saw my brother sway from side to side, uncomfortable, hand scratching the back of his head has he looked away from me. Goody-two-shoes Wes Evans was a terrible liar, so he never lied. Instead he just dodged the questions by asking new ones:

"Does it matter? An invitation is an invitation."

Now I was getting pissed.

"Wes. When did mother send the invitation? Knowing her she probably had then mailed at LEAST two months before the date that the event was to be held."

"Fine…, don't be mad Soul. She sent them over three months ago."

"So she decided to invite me once she was in a pickle and needed another pianist?"

"Well…"

"Wes!"

"Alright! I'm the one that sent you the invite. Father put me in charge to find a pianist for this evening's show, so I thought of you. I am sorry Soul, I didn't know that she hadn't invited you until I checked the guest list when Nygus broke her arm."

"That's it. I'm leaving, see ya."

I turned around without waiting for a goodbye and headed towards the double glass doors. Anger boiled through me. They hadn't even bothered sending me an invitation to this stupid party. To be honest, even if they had, I probably wouldn't of had gone, but still. It stung to know that their pianist had to break her arm one month before a grand ballet, and for their eldest son to ask me to fill in for said pianist, just for them to end up seeing me.

I was so caught up in my angered thoughts that I didn't notice that I had walked into one of the Concerto Halls. An ebony Grand Concert piano stood in the middle of the stage, and before I could stop myself, I hopped on the wooden platform and sat at the bench. My hands didn't hesitate a second as they flew to the keyboard, as if possessed. I needed to clear my mind, and playing the piano had always been the best remedy for me. So I started playing.

It began with a clang of notes, loud and long, letting all my frustration seep into this song. The melody was twisted and dark, fast paced and chaotic. I let all of my violent energy out onto the keys, letting them cry out in agony for me. Stripping my soul bare to pull out the hurt and the deceptions, the shame and the anger; I could feel a large grin forming on my lips as I let the dark melody pour out, losing my sanity to the fast pace of the harsh notes, not letting one finish before I made another sing. As the anger left me, the song slowed and the piano wept for me. The notes detached themselves from one another, alone and isolated, lonely. When I slowed the song to a stop I let the last note ring out throughout the empty theater, feeling calm and at peace again.

Figuring that all I could do now was to get back to my apartment and have a good night sleep, I got up and turned towards the doors, freezing up in front of a silhouette. My eyes widened and I felt heat rise to my face. Someone had heard me play, someone had heard that dark and twisted song that made my own parents look at me with disgust. Someone was… crying?

Looking closer at the intruder, I noticed that it was girl wearing a strapless black dress that stopped at her mid-thighs, her blond hair was down and the golden tips brushed the top of her shoulders as curled bangs framed her face. She seemed vaguely familiar, with her big green eyes shining with moisture as another tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know it was bad, but crying is a bit much, no?"

This was so uncool. I was embarrassed and horrified at the same time. When she seemed to register my words, she slightly shook her head and brought her hands up to her face to wipe her tears away.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. I got lost looking for the bathroom and then I heard the piano and got curious. Sorry about the crying, it was so beautiful, in a lonely haunting kind of way, that the tears just started falling."

She finished drying her eyes and cheeks before giving me a bright smile.

I was floored. Rendered speechless. Someone had just complimented one of my songs instead of calling it a profanity or an abomination. Over half of my family thought I was deranged to come up with such dark and chaotic melodies. And the other half probably just wanted to see me thrown into the loony's bin. She must have seen the bewilderment on my face because after that she extended her hand, giving me a small apologetic smile.

"I'm Maka. Maka Albarn."

That's when it hit me. She was Maka, the pissed off pigtailed girl that I had see in front of the Shibusen Academy about two weeks ago, no wonder she seemed familiar. I reached for her hand and shook it firmly.

"Soul Eater."

"That's a weird name, but it's nice to meet you Soul."

She gave me another sincere smile before letting my hand go. This girl was something. I hadn't meant to give her, or anyone else for that matter, this insight on my shady song, but she had understood the obscure, fragile and lonely part of my soul went my own family members only saw chaotic notes and an unstable mind. I felt my lips twitch into a full wolfish smile.

"Let's make a deal then, Maka. You swear to never tell a soul about my music, and I'll escort you to the nearest bathroom."

* * *

 **I would like to give a big shout out to MahestiraKinasi and Elisablackcat, thank you for the Fav/Follow and Review ! :) It made me all giddy and happy :D**

 **Yes I'm a total newbie at this and I jump with glee every time someone reads my story, and do a happy dance when someone Reviews/Favs/Follows, so thank you to EllieBloodStain, Twany Haired Wild Flower, winowa-san, Shadowhunterchronicleslover13, DauntlessSoul, zoogirl3715 and Jmann23!**


	3. Second Heart - The stray cat

**Hello again dear Reader!**

 **It's now Maka's point of view in this chapter, I hope that you will enjoy reading this!**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Soul Eater_**

* * *

 **Maka**

"Let's make a deal then, Maka. You swear to never tell a soul about my music, and I'll escort you to the nearest bathroom."

His words came out in a lazy drawl, his voice was deep and that sharp-toothed grin he gave me made little warning bells ring in the back of my mind. Soul was about a head taller than me but looked to be around my age, even if his unruly white hair and blood red eyes were a strange touch. He could have been a demon straight out from a fairytale. Of course his laid back attitude, with his shoulders slouched over and his hands stuffed into his pockets, kind of killed the demon image he gave out in the first place.

"All right, deal."

He passed me without another word while I fell into step next to him. Now that he wasn't sitting in front of the piano, the boy in the black pinstriped suit and red dress shirt looked like a totally different person. When I saw him at first, his back was straight even if he was leaning dangerously over the black and white keyboard. He swayed on the bench as his fingers hit the keys with such speed that it seemed as if he skimmed over them, barely brushing the notes, even if his wide demented Cheshire grin and erratic melody proved otherwise.

Once he had led us out into the corridors I spotted Liz and Patty heading our way.

"Yay! I found Maka!"

Patty's voice echoed loudly down the hall while the youngest of the Thompson sisters waved her arms energetically around as if to catch my attention. The two sisters, probably on Kid's orders, were both wearing the same simple white gowns, with their hair loose, and light brown cowboy boots. As her sister continued skipping ahead, Liz walked at a more leisurely pace towards us, ignoring her sibling's antics.

"Yeah, that's nice Patty", she drawled out.

I had arrived with Kid and his two adopted sisters/caretakers; after all, the son of Shibusen Academy's headmaster could be a handful from time to time. Anyhow, Kid had an extra invitation on his hands, since his father couldn't make it to the party, so he had invited me in order to fill all four seats that were in his car to 'keep it symmetrically used'.

"Hey Maka, it's your turn to dance with Kid and Patty."

I cringed inwardly. I HAD promised Patty that I would dance with her and Kid, but Kid's dancing routines could be… pretty special and not quite orthodox. The two sisters were now standing in front of us, Liz eyeing the boy to my left, intrigued. Noticing the intense look appearing on Liz's face, I snapped out of my daydreaming and started introducing them to one another:

"Liz, Patty, this is Soul Eater. Soul, these are Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson, the sisters of a childhood friend of mine, Death the Kid."

Liz was the first one to speak while Patty jumped right in front of the poor boy, entrapping him in a, probably, spine crushing hug.

"Nice to meet you Soul."

"Ye-yeah, same here."

Soul's voice was a bit strained, probably from Patty crushing all the air out of his lungs, but as the youngest sister released him, he took a step back, tugging uncomfortably on the collar of his dress shirt. I was too busy looking at Soul's reaction that I missed Liz squinting her eyes suspiciously between the both of us, so her next move took me by surprise. Sliding between Soul and me, she looped her arms through ours and pulled us forward, Patty marching in front of us like a soldier, grinning happily.

"Back to the party!"

"W-wait Liz, Soul was going to show me the way to the nearest bathroom…"

Not slowing down one bit, the eldest sister turned her head to face me, smirking:

"Really? You've been wandering around for the past 20 minutes and still haven't been to the restroom? What HAVE you been doing with Souly boy here?"

"Nothing! I kinda… got lost."

I added lamely, looking away from her questioning gaze while my cheeks started heating up.

"Yeah, tiny-tits over there ended up looking for a bathroom in the piano concerto hall."

"Shut up, Soul!"

Liz grinned at Soul's snark remark while I started glaring daggers at the two. I've been well aware that my chest shape had always been close to that of a flat-board, that jerk didn't have to point it out so crudely.

After a stop at the nearest bathroom, with Patty keeping Soul company outside, I went back to the garden party, ignoring the two idiots who were tailing me, Patty in tow. We hadn't reached the buffet that a familiar english accent came from our right.

"Ah, Liz, Patty. We have exactly 18 seconds before the next song starts, and it should go perfectly in rhythm with our fourth dance routine."

Kid hurriedly grabbed Liz and Patty by the hand and dragged the two girls at his sides towards the dancefloor, leaving Soul and me alone near the hors-d'oeuvres table. That's when I noticed that Soul kept scanning the crowd of people anxiously with his eyes. That is until the next song started and he saw Kid's 'number four dance routine'. I saw him lift one eyebrow while he stared at the trio, Kid in the middle holding on to the two girl's shoulders, as they all simultaneously lifted one leg, then the other, at a perfect 90° angle, to the beat of the song. I couldn't help but stifle a laughter at his 'what the hell am I watching?' look.

"Yeah, that's Kid. He's pretty special. Patty and Liz help keep his OCD under control."

"No wonder you made a face when Liz reminded you that you had to dance with them."

I shrugged and kept my eyes on the dancing trio. Suddenly Kid froze, his leg still up in the air at a 90° angle.

"Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson, don't you DARE break the stance until the song starts again!"

At Kid's orders the two girls held the pose, Patty grinning like mad and Liz looking exasperated, ready to start complaining about Kid's antics. That's when I noticed that the song had, indeed, stopped mid-track. Kid wore his usual symmetrical black suit, and the three white horizontal streaks on the left side of his hair, but it was lucky for the girls that their dresses were long enough so that holding up a leg at 90° wasn't too embarrassing. I heard the whining of a microphone and looked up to the makeshift stage in front of the wooden section that was used as the dancefloor. The speaker only took a few seconds to announce that someone had parked their car in a no parking space in front of the Theater and that they had to move it before it was towed away.

Once the announcement was finished, the music started again… but it wasn't the same song anymore. I then saw Kid breaking his stance to hold his head between both hands as he sunk to his knees in the middle of the dancefloor, weeping about the unfinished song. Liz was standing next to him, massaging her temples while Patty laughed at the scene Kid was making. I stopped looking when Soul caught my attention.

"Wow… he's got it bad. And I thought I had issues."

That's when I first heard Soul laugh. It wasn't an outright boisterous laugh, but it was still more than a chuckle. It was a deep and soothing sound that made his shoulders shake a little, and made his eyes crinkle a bit on the sides. A resounding 'whack' made me look back to the dancing area where Kid, still on the floor, was yelling at Patty to hit him on the other side of the head so that the pain would be symmetrical. Once the second hit was landed, all three of them made their way back to us, Kid's earlier fit about not being able to finish dancing to the song long forgotten.

The rest of the evening was calm and enjoyable. Soul seemed to get along pretty well with Kid while Liz and I kept Patty away from the 3 feet tall chocolate cake. As the party came to an end, Soul left and Kid waited exactly 10 pm before leaving the Theater's parking lot, going on and on about punctuality and respecting the hours on the invitation card.

The next two weeks were filled with finals at Shibusen Academy, and when friday night finally came around, I was dragged out of my apartment by Liz and Patty to go celebrate the beginning of summer vacation, and to cheer up Liz from her recent break-up.

Cheering-up Liz meant going shopping, followed by a night full of heavy drinking. That's how I found myself at the Witch's Broom-Closet, a well known club in Death City for it's glow-in-the-dark beer, wearing a newly bought backless blood red dress that floated to my knees, with the matching heels that were already killing me, and my hair up in a high ponytail. I had actually wanted to buy a long sleeved forest green dress held by a white belt at the waist, but when the time came for us to leave and pay for the cloths, Liz said that she was feeling generous and that the tab was on her… I should have guessed it was a trap. It's only when we arrived at Kid's house to get ready that I noticed the scam. They had switched my green gown for the red one that I had been ordered to try on, by Liz, 'just for fun'.

The club was full, the music was loud and the bass shook through my body. It felt good to unwind after the two weeks of exams we had had. Patty and I altered between dancing and cooling off at our table, trying to rehydrate ourselves with the cool beer. Around one in the morning, Liz seemed to have gotten over her break-up, seeing how she was now locking lips with some guy that had started dancing against her. Patty was at another table, out drinking a whole table of guys who were betting on who could drink the most beers before rolling under the table. She was going to out drink the poor suckers dry.

Needing something with caffeine if I ever wanted to outlast Liz and Patty at this rate, or before I passed out on cheap alcohol, I got up from our table with my purse and made my way towards the bar. Pushing through an seemingly endless mass of dancing bodies, I spotted a familiar red head. Spirit Albarn, my father, laughing boisterously, and obviously very drunk, while holding two very curvy women by the hips, one on each side of his stool. Somehow that brought me back to reality way faster than any cup of coffee could have.

Without thinking I turned around and stumbled out of the club. The air was still chilly at night, but the cool breeze lessened the nausea I was feeling. I decided I would just walk back home and send Liz an sms to tell her that I had left. The streets were still lit up and the neighborhood was safe and completely empty at half past one in the morning. There was a soft breeze, and as I passed the first apartment complexes I felt water on my face. I looked up at the dark sky as more drops started to fall, but I knew that those weren't only raindrops rolling down my cheeks. In a matter of seconds, it was pouring, but somehow I didn't want to move.

The rain fell hard, numbing the city's noises. It was like pulling a curtain around me, hiding me from the world for a few moments. My head was light and my stomach had settled down as the rain hit my skin, sinking into my dress, heavy drops rolling down my back. It was a mind numbing feeling, calming, as if nothing in the world mattered anymore… or maybe it was the alcohol still in my system?

"Maka?"

On my right, coming out of an ally, was Soul. This was starting to be a strange alcohol induced haze. He was hunched over, trying to hold the top of his big yellow jacket over his head while holding something to his chest. He walked up to me, pulling his jacket closer.

"What the hell are you doing out here?"

"Going home. Was at a party but my dad crashed it… Man can be such pigs."

"Maka, are you... drunk?"

"Pffff, nope. Just a bit light headed. And if it looks like I'm tipsy… well I'm not. It's just because of the heels."

"Maka, you're not wearing any shoes."

At his deadpan tone I looked at my bare feet. How had I missed that?

"Hey! My shoes are gone!"

I heard him sigh, and suddenly the rain stopped pouring over my head. As I looked up, he handed me the object that he had been cradling against his chest.

"Hold on to her will ya."

It was a cat, half drenched in water and shivering. I held her close to me as Soul slipped one arm around my waist, to steady my steps, while holding the coat over me and the cat with his other hand. I noticed that I was actually shivering when I felt the warmth of his jacket seep through my skin. How long had I stayed out in the rain for?

He guided us to an apartment building that looked a lot like mine, but I was pretty sure mine was still two more blocks down the road. Then came the hard part… going up the stairs. I couldn't help giggling as Soul slipped on the wet tiles while trying to get me to go up myself. But the stairs weren't cooperating. They kept swaying so I had a hard time putting my foot safely on it before heading for the next step.

I think Soul got impatient at some point because he passed his jacket around my shoulders, wound his arms under my knees and under my shoulder blades, and lifted me up as I held the cat safely to my stomach. I started giggling at a thought.

"You know Soul, you're actually a charming demon prince."

"Huh… thanks?"

"Yeap! Because you look like a demon, with the eyes and teeth and all, but you're actually sweet and charming… and you looked hot in that pinstriped suit."

I let out a small yelp as he stumbled, almost toppling over in the middle of the stairway.

"Pfff… and I'm the drunk one. You can't even walk straight up stairs!"

"Sh-shut-up Maka. You're drunk. Don't let Blair fall over."

"Who's Blair?"

"The cat you're holding. That idiot goes out at night but she'll get scared stiff when she's touched by water. So when it rains I have to go and find her or she'll just let herself get soaked, then she usually ends up getting sick."

Soul reached the top of the stairs and turned down the hall. Once he had stopped in front of a door, he set me back on my feet, keeping an arm around my shoulders to steady me, and unlocked the door. I let him guide me inside and sat on a couch as he left for a few seconds before coming back with towels.

I watched him towel dry Blair while drying myself up with the towel he had given me. Once I deemed myself dry enough I pushed my arms through the sleeves of his jacket and zipped it up front, trying to keep the warmth in. From the corner of my eye, I saw Soul finish drying Blair and letting the cat go before heading down the main hall and disappeared into a room, closing the door behind himself.

I leaned back into the couch, sinking into his yellow leather jacket. My skin seemed to absorb the heat, making me want to snuggle into a ball and hibernate. I closed my eyes, hiding my nose into the collar and taking in a deep breath. It smelled incredible, like warm spices, and yet the smell was gentle, it didn't sting my nostrils like most perfumes did. I guessed I could just stay here a few moments, basking in the warm and comfortable silence, until Soul got back out so I could leave.

I think I fell asleep at some point since the next time I woke up it was with a splitting headache and absolutely no idea of where I was.

* * *

 **Last Heart to go! The next chapter will be the last!**

 **I would like to give a big shout out to IHaveNoName and IDC, ElisaBlackcat, Sakura Akari and Nitebreaker for the Favs/Follows/Reviews on the last chapter! :)**


	4. Third Heart - The girl full of life

**Greetings dear Reader;**

 **This is the last chapter!**

 **I'm happy because this is my first multi-chapter story, and it's finished. Yet, I'm still kinda sad since there are so many more ideas I could have written down. I really had a hard time deciding if I was going to make a Maka or Soul Point of View (PoV). To the point that I almost wanted to split this chapter in 2 and make Soul's PoV, and then write the last chapter with Maka's PoV. I just hope I didn't completely mess it up by doing one big chapter… Anyways, please enjoy!**

 **Update: I wasn't happy with the current ending so I rewrote it. The story doesn't change, but the phrasing does.**

 **Side notes :**

Narration

"Talking"

 _*Thinking*_

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Soul Eater_**

* * *

 **Maka**

I had never felt this wrecked in my life. My feet were sore, my back hurt, my stomach was lurching, something was digging painfully into my side, and my head was killing me. I wanted to groan in pain, but fearing that it would only intensify the splitting headache I was having, I stayed still under the warm covers. My mind was a jumble of blurry events as I tried to remember what had happened last night, my brain still hazy with sleep.

 _*I went shopping with Liz and Patty, they tricked me into wearing that little red backless dress, then we were at the club, danced, drank, and… Blank. Come on, think Maka… I drank a few beers, danced with Patty and Liz, and… I think Patty joined a drinking contest…?*_

After that, nothing, my mind drew up blank after blank memories. I let out a long sigh. For someone that was supposed to be smart, drinking myself mindless was a pretty stupid stunt. At least I had somehow gotten home…

Dread washed over me as I shot up, heart thundering, eyes wide awake, as I threw the covers on the side to look around me.

"Shit."

I was definitely NOT home.

"Shiiiit."

I groaned out in pain, resting my head slowly between my hands. Moving too fast was a bad idea right now. Good news though, the room was cast in shadows so I didn't have to face the harsh reality of my hung-over mind seeing a bright light, yet.

Once the pain had subsided to a dull ache, and once the room had stopped moving on it's own, I took in my surroundings.

I was sitting on a black couch, covered from the waste down by the blue fleece that I had thrown aside, and wearing a yellow leather jacket that was way too big for me. I still had the red dress under the coat, and the object that had been digging into my side was actually my purse. Looking at the foot of the couch I noticed that my shoes were nowhere in sight.

 _*Second good news, I didn't wake-up naked, next to some stranger…*_

The room was plain. The walls were painted in white, matching the thick curtains on my left that covered the entire wall. The couch was set in front of a television that sat on the opposite side of the small room, leaving space for a simple wooden coffee table between the two. There was also a small brown shelf on the right of the TV that held a few games and DVDs. Other than that, I couldn't see any pictures on the walls, no carpets near the entryways, no little personal objects lying around,… as if this room, and the apartment, was barely used.

Looking around only gave me less hints on to where I was. That's when I noticed the small pile of folded laundry on the coffee table, with a towel, a shirt, sweatpants and a piece of paper on top. Reaching out, I picket up the note and started reading, squinting my eyes a bit at the small, yet straight and neat, handwriting.

"Mornin'

Not sure if you'll read this message or just freak-out and run out the door, but I'm out for my part-time job so I'll be back around 10h30. Until then, you can use the shower (first door on your left down the hall).

Soul.

P.S. if you need anything, you can reach me at this number : XXX – XXX – XXXX"

I looked at the letter, dumbfounded. Then at the signature. Soul.

How in the world had I ended up at SOUL's house?

Embarrassment started to heat-up my cheeks as I looked through my bag, taking out my cellphone. After turning it on, I sent an SMS to Liz saying that I had gotten home safely, she didn't need to know about the when and how just yet, then wrote down Soul's number. As I finished adding the new contact information, while thoroughly ignoring the happy feeling bubbling in my chest, I checked the time and date on the main screen, and froze. I was going to be late!

Not wasting anymore time, I folded the fleece on the couch, picked up my purse and bolted through the door. I didn't have time to look for my shoes, and decided that I would just send Soul a message and ask him to bring them back to me when he could.

Once I left the building, I noticed that I was less than two blocks away from my own apartment building. Walking barefoot, looking completely disheveled, and keeping my eyes half closed against the morning sun that made my head pound, I finally arrived home without passing by too many people.

Once inside, I noticed that I was still wearing the yellow jacket that probably belonged to Soul.

 _*Well, now I have an excuse to go see him again…*_

I froze at that thought, shoving the idea back into the deepest part of my brain. I did NOT need that kind of distraction right now. I had way more important things to take care of instead of daydreaming about a guy that might not be interested in me anyways.

After a record fast shower, I picked out a jean with my green tank-top, and sunglasses, for the day. I also took an aspirin, hoping it would ease my headache fast, as I closed the door and hopped into my car, throwing Soul's jacket onto the backseat.

I couldn't believe it when I arrived on time at the airport. Waiting near the arrivals' door, I kept an eye out for a mass of pink hair. Barely ten minutes later, I saw a lanky silhouette walking awkwardly through the glass doors, fidgeting around with a heavy looking suitcase.

"Crona! Over here!"

I shouted a few times, waving both hands above my head in hopes to be seen. When Crona spotted me, the skinny figure dressed in black made its way towards me, head bowed as if trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.

Crona had been living in England for the past few years, but we still kept in touch, writing letters to each other. We had met in kindergarten, but after the mysterious disappearance of Crona's mother about three years ago, the teen was sent to a specialized boarding school on the outskirts of London. Unfortunately, the facility closed its doors once the school year was over, so every summer Crona came back to Death City to spend the holidays at my house.

Once my friend had reached me, I gave Crona a big hug, swaying from side to side, before letting go and taking the heavy suitcase as I walked us to my car. On the way to my apartment, we chatted about the flight, what we had been up to since our last letters, and of course what trips we could plan for the holidays.

When the afternoon came around, Crona was taking a nap in my bedroom, since I had decided to sleep on the couch as long I had a guest, ad thus giving me some free time to myself. Taking out my cellphone to check if Liz or Patty had answered my earlier text, I remembered that I hadn't told Soul that I had left with his jacket. It took me a few minutes to write a simple SMS, trying to sound as neutral as possible:

"Hey Soul, Maka here. Sorry I was in a hurry to leave this morning, but I had to pick up a friend at the airport. Thank you for letting me sleep over, and sorry for the trouble I must have caused you."

I hit the send button before realizing that I had been so focused on apologizing for leaving his house without a "thanks" that I had forgotten to tell him that his leather jacket was still with me. As I started to write a P.S. note, a message came in, the fast reply surprising me a bit.

"Don't worry about it, I had a great time, you can sleep over me anytime ;)"

I stared at the screen a few moments, not sure how to respond, and hoping to god that the term "sleep over me" was a typo, when another message came in :

"Sorry, that was Black*Star. I didn't see him take my phone, don't mind what that idiot says, nothing happened. And no problem about last night, it's cool."

I didn't know any Black*Star, and for some reason I was getting annoyed just by reading his name, but ignored the feeling as I answered:

"Alright…, BTW, I left with your jacket this morning, when can I come over and give it back? And did I leave my shoes at your apartment?"

As the minutes ticked by, my mind came up with different reasons as to why he was taking so much time answering. Maybe his friend had stolen his phone again? Or perhaps he just didn't have the time today? Or he was trying to remember where he had put my shoes? What if the yellow jacket I was wearing wasn't even his? On the other hand, maybe he didn't want me to come and bother him again at his apartment, and was going to tell me to just drop it in his mailbox or something?

When my phone finally rang about ten minutes later, I practically jumped out of my skin, fumbling with the device to open the text message, taking in a deep breath before reading it:

"I think you left your shoes at whatever party you were at last night. As for my jacket, I'm playing a basketball game with some friends right now. We're using the court in the park behind Shibusen Academy. You can come over if you want?"

I read his text a few times before registering all the words, not noticing the slow smile creeping up on my face. The question mark at the end of the message was very endearing…

"Maka? Did something happen?"

I looked up, startled. I hadn't noticed that Crona was now standing right in front of me, and here I was curled up against the armrest of my couch, smiling stupidly at my phone, lost in my own little world. I felt my cheeks heat up as I suddenly stood up, shrugging off the question:

"Everything's fine, nothing good, nothing bad. I lost a pair of shoes that were pretty expensive… but they were impossible to walk in, so it's not that bad."

I looked at Crona's still sleepy eyes before adding:

"Do you want to sleep some more?"

Crona thought about it for a second before staring at the ground while answering me:

"I'd rather not, or I might have a hard time dealing with the jetlag tonight if I sleep all day."

I gave my pink haired friend a bright smile. Crona had always had trouble interacting with other people, and had left for England to work on ways to deal with everyday situations that seemed to be impossible to manage for the poor child. I was amazed at how much progress Crona had made during these past few years abroad.

"All right. What if we went for a walk? I need to give a friend his jacket back, and a walk in the park will surely wake you up a bit."

"O-okay, I think I can deal with that…"

About twenty minutes later, we were both walking through the park, heading towards the basketball courts where loud shouts could be heard.

"BOW BEFORE YOUR GOD! FOR I AM THE ALMIGHTY BLACK*STAR AND I RULE THIS COURT!"

As we entered the area surrounded by a high fence, I saw a boy, about a head smaller than me, whom had climbed up onto one of the hoops, sitting on it while laughing boisterously at no one. Just by looking at his azure blue hair combed in the shape of a star, I had a very strong feeling that he was the infamous Black*Star.

"Soul is still two points ahead of you, so you're not really the ruler of the court, Black*Star."

The voice was calm and soothing, and came from a tall girl with long black hair held back in a ponytail. She was sitting on a nearby bench; hands crossed politely on her lap, while talking to the loud blue monkey looking boy, a small smile on her lips.

"NONSENSE TSUBAKI, THE GREAT ME WILL TAKE THE LEAD IN A SINGLE SHOT!"

"You loud idiot, how can you score 3 points in a single shot. We're only counting the hoops we mark."

The voice was Soul's, he appeared from behind me, holding a bottle of water in one hand and a basketball ball in the other. He was wearing a white shirt, dark blue shorts, black sneakers, and a yellow bandana that was keeping his unruly hair from falling into his eyes.

"Hey Maka, good too see you."

He still used that lazy way of speaking, as if nothing in the world could faze him, even if he was sporting that toothy grin of his, and a cocky glint in his eyes. As he stopped next to me, his gaze locked on something near my ear. Crona was behind me, head peeking out from above my shoulder, trying to disappear behind my smaller frame, as I made the introductions:

"Hello Soul. It's nice to see you too. And this here is Crona, a very good friend of mine that will be staying at my apartment for the summer holidays."

I tried nudging Crona in front of me to no avail, while Soul gave us a slight node. That's when I noticed that the boy with the blue hair had jumped down from his perch, leading him and the tall girl towards us.

"Behold! I am your God, the Great Black*Star! Bow before me, mere mortals, for you shall all become my loyal subjects!"

Good thing I still had my sunglasses on, because just his shouting was making my headache come back, and I didn't need it to get any worse.

"M-Maka, I don't know how to deal with all of this shouting… "

Crona's small voice was muffled behind me as my flat-mate held on to the back of my shirt.

"And I am Tsubaki. It's nice to finally meet you Maka, Soul told us about you… a little. And it's nice to meet you too, Crona."

Her voice was always polite and collected, a genuine smile lighting up her features as she stood next to the obnoxious Black*Star, hands crossed behind her back as she faced me and Crona. The fact that Soul, that I had met only 2 times, had talked about me to his friends didn't go unnoticed. Especially since I didn't even remember our second meeting.

Now that the introductions had been made, an awkward silence fell, making Soul clear his throat before he spoke up:

"So, Maka, you and your friend wanna shoot some hoops with us?"

"Hum, I've never played basketball before, and Crona doesn't really do sports... I just came to give you your jacket back anyways, thanks for lending it to me."

"Oh, sure no problem."

"But thank you for the invite. I ... we… should... probably go."

I finished lamely, handing Soul his jacket, then tugging Crona along towards the exit. This conversation had sent off little warning bells in the back of my head as an image of my no good cheating father popped up. I should have been happy that he seemed at least a bit interested in me, and I was kicking myself internally for not taking up on his offer.

I think I saw a glint of disappointment in his eyes before he schooled his features back to a bored looking gaze, that only made me want to escape faster towards the exit. What the hell was wrong with me?

"HAHAHAHAHA! Look at that scaredy-cat run! She couldn't even handle the Great Me even if she tried!"

Was it just me, or was Black*Star's voice getting more and more annoying every time he opened that big mouth of his? Or maybe my headache was just making me irritable. Whatever the reason was, I would NEVER back-out of a challenge.

Halting just before leaving the court area, I spun around, letting Crona's hand go, and started walking straight for Black*Star in a sure pace.

"M-Maka, I don't think that's such a good idea..."

I ignored my friend's anxious muttering and stood in front of the grinning blue haired bastard. Holding my head high as I spoke; there was NO WAY that I would let him look down on me.

"All right, you're on! I accept your challenge, but when you lose, you'll have to bow down to me and listen to my every whim for a whole day... your godliness."

My words were dripping with sarcasm, but Black*Star's smile only grew wider with the promise of a dare:

"And when YOU lose, you'll bow down to ME, and do everything I tell you for an entire day!"

"Fine!"

I shook his hand, sealing the deal, then turned to Soul. Stomping furiously towards the white haired teen, I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the nearest hoop before facing him.

"All right, what are the rules?"

I crossed my arms in front of me, probably glaring at him, but I didn't care. I was going to wipe that insolent smirk off Black*Star's face.

"Feisty and competitive much?"

I felt my eye twitch at his snarky remark, but it was his mocking smile that sealed his fate.

"Maka-chop."

"Alright, sorry, no need to be violent… Tch, so not cool."

Rubbing his bruised skull, Soul explained the rules while giving me a few pointers concerning Black*Star's gaming habits. For a "bookworm", I was pretty athletic. And knowing a few self-defense moves was always a good idea when you leave the house of your constantly drunk father at the age of 16. But still, shooting a ball through a hoop while trying to dodge an adversary that was jumping around relentlessly was not an easy feat.

About 30 minutes later, I was sprawled on the hot pavement, the warm pebbles digging into my back, breathing hard and feeling like an ice-cream melting under Nevada's summer sun. Black*Star also looked exhausted, sitting against the fence, but grinning wickedly. He had won 10 to 8.

"For someone that never played this game, you've got a pretty good aim. I'll allow you to become one of my loyal followers."

I couldn't hold back a small laughter at what could only be a compliment, coming from him. I had lost most of the points after being forced to give Black*Star the ball back because I kept making mistakes. Who's the idiot that invented the rule that says that you can't do more than three steps once you stop dribbling anyways?

I looked around the court, feeling a little guilty that I had bailed out on Crona to play a stupid one on one, just because I couldn't let a challenge go. That guilty feeling left me when I noticed how Tsubaki was having a passionate conversation about poetry with my friend.

My attention was dragged to the left as a shadow spread over me, blocking-out the blinding sun.

"That was an interesting game. Especially when you used Black*Star as a stool to dunk that last point."

Soul chuckled at the memory as he leaned over me, extending his hand to help me off the floor. I mechanically reached-out to let him pull me to my feet, dusting myself off once he had let go of my hand. That was when I felt an unwanted presence next to me.

"Now, bow before me, peasant!"

I felt my eye twitch some more as Black*Star posed in front of me, but a deal was a deal. I glared at the blue haired jerk, clenching my fists tightly to keep myself from giving him a Maka-chop.

Slowly, and reluctantly, I knelt to the ground and bowed head first for a few seconds, before standing up again, cheeks flaming red with anger and embarrassment, as Black*Star started another monologue on how great and awesome and unbeatable he was. I started feeling another headache coming so I started saying goodbye to Soul when the obnoxious God wannabe jumped right in front of me.

"YOU!"

I raised an eyebrow at him, tempted to break the finger that was rudely pointing at my nose.

"Tomorrow, 8 AM at Giriko's Wild Water-park, and bring my lunch... Slave."

If Crona hadn't been next to me and practically falling asleep while standing, I would have sent him, and that high-and-mighty smirk of his, to hell and back that very instant. Instead I put on a strained smile and bade everyone goodbye. On the way home, I was fuming, but the only reason I wasn't screaming out in frustration in the middle of the road was because I knew that tomorrow I would get my revenge.

The next morning, Crona and I were the first ones to arrive at the water-park's gates. Tsubaki arrived right on time, dragging a half-asleep Black*Star behind her, and Soul showed up about ten minutes later.

As expected of Death City's biggest water-park, during the start of the summer holidays, it was soon going to be overcrowded with people, so we left our stuff at a table and raced off to the biggest water-slides before the waiting line got too long. Crona stayed at the table, sipping on a soda, enjoying the shade with Tsubaki since they didn't feel like going in the water just yet. And who could blame them? At 8:30 the sun hadn't had time to warm up yet, so all the water in the deep pools, and in the zones that stayed in the morning shade, was freezing. Of course, that didn't stop Black*Star from ordering me to jump into every point of water we passed by. After that I had to try every attraction that screamed "danger!". Soul was nice enough to accompany me from time to time, and quickly Black*Star became bored of ordering me around when he saw that I wasn't afraid to go on the scariest looking rides. By 11 o'clock the blue haired idiot had stopped giving me dares as he raced around the park with Soul, trying to do as many rides as possible before lunch.

When I joined our table, I saw Tsubaki soaking up the sun in a navy blue bikini that accentuated her generous figure even more, and Crona reading a poetry book in the shade, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and matching sweatpants, not wanting to run the risk of getting a sunburn.

About an hour later, Soul and Black*Star arrived; Soul looked pissed while his best friend was grinning evilly from ear to ear.

"Maka! Your God DEMANDS that you kiss Crona on the lips!"

"What?!"

Soul and I exchanged a look after registering that we had shouted-out at the same time. Ignoring the blush on my cheeks, and Soul that was now glaring at the pool next to us, I cleared my throat, choosing my words carefully:

"I'm not going to kiss Crona on the lips, Black*Star, since Crona is like my family, a sibling. So that would be just WRONG."

When I saw the confused look on his face, I wasn't really surprised by his next question:

"So does that make Crona a boy or a girl? I mean, the Great Me doesn't really need to bother with such petty details but, Maka is as flat-chested as Crona, but I can still tell that pig-tails here is a girl..."

"Makaaaaa-chop"

I gave Crona's poetry book back and stormed off to the picnic basket that I had brought for everyone, ignoring the now unconscious blue haired moron laying on the floor.

I had passed over two hours in my closet last night, trying out twelve different bathing suits before deciding that I would be wearing my pink bikini with the frilled top, in hopes that it would hide my lack of boobs. Apparently I was wrong... And what the heck was up with these stupid questions, wasn't Crona's gender obvious?

The rest of the evening was uneventful, other than Black*Star choking on a sandwich in which I had "accidentally" put super spicy hot sauce. After that he declared that I couldn't keep up with his godly needs, and thus canceled our deal of me having to serve him for he rest of the day.

As the sun started to set, we decided to go on a few more rides before the park closed. Crona and Tsubaki were playing a card game while Soul dragged me to an attraction that Black*Start wanted to try out again. It was the Tsunami pool, and it was full of people who wanted to catch the last wave before the end of the day.

As we entered the pool, Soul caught my hand, pulling me along as we weaved our way between other swimmers and floating rubber rings. Black*Star was in front of our little group, pushing his way through the crowd. After a few minutes we had somehow managed to make it to the center of the pool were the biggest waves would form.

The blue haired boy was practically jumping out of the water with excitement while Soul smiled at his friend's antics. When the first wave hit, an alarm when off, notifying the swimmers that the Tsunami pool event was going to start. At first we just followed the curve of the waves, heads staying above the water at all time. As the waves got bigger, we had to swim to not get caught up in the current when the wave broke. It wasn't that strong a wave, but you could still get dragged under for a few seconds if you weren't careful, so I tried staying near Soul and Black*Star. When one of the biggest waves of the attraction was starting to form, a tall guy on a green rubber float bumped into me as the wave picked us up. The man wearing a black and white striped bathing suit started to lose his balance as the wave neared its breaking point. I tried swimming out of his way, but it was too late. The man fell from his frog shaped float, right on top of me, as the wave broke and crashed into the shallow area of the pool, dragging both of us under.

After that, my memory is kind of blurry. I know I tried screaming but I only swallowed water as a heavy mass fell on me. And I probably hit my head since I remember a sharp pain before blacking out.

At some point, I think I heard someone calling out my name, but I couldn't really see who was trying to get my attention; I felt so dizzy with everything around me being a hazy mix of colors.

I do remember my lungs burning as fresh air entered them, and those beautiful red eyes telling me everything was going to be fine. I had thought that demons saved damsels in distress only in fairy tales, but I guess I was wrong for once.

As the strangest dream washed over me, one with a little girl in a field of wheat, a cat with a ridiculous amount of magic, and a soft-hearted demon, I could hear someone else's beating heart. The sound was a bit fast, yet strong and warm, comforting even. And from time to time I could feel my cheeks and neck tickle with warmth; I knew I was safe.

The next time I woke up, I had another skull splitting headache, even if I was pretty sure that I hadn't been drinking. Opening my eyes to take in my surroundings, I realized that I was in a white hospital room, not sure about how I had gotten there.

The only light in the room came from the small bedside table lamp that was on my right. I didn't have the slightest idea of what time it was, but when I noticed how dark it was outside the nearest window, I could easily tell that we were in the dead of night. Searching for my watch, I turned to my other side and sat up slowly, spotting the sleeping figure that was hunched over the edge of my bed.

Soul was fast asleep, sitting on a chair while his upper body leaned over the mattress, head resting over his crossed arms. I couldn't help the smile that came to my lips as I started combing my fingers through his white hair. For someone with such messy looking locks, it was a wonder that they were as soft as silk. When I felt him move under my touch, I took back my hand as tired red eyes looked up.

"Hey."

"Hey."

His voice was still rough with sleep, but mine probably wasn't any better since he reached out for a cup of water that was on the nightstand next to him, and handed it to me. I whispered a small 'thanks' before taking a few sips, looking around the room to see that we were alone. Once my throat felt a little less dry, I spoke up, voice still a bit raspy:

"What happened?"

Lifting up a single brow, he gave me with an "are you seriously asking me that question?" kind of look before I added:

"I know that some guy fell on me in the Tsunami pool, and that I almost drowned, but after that the details aren't very clear."

Soul looked away, pain and worry marring his features, before answering.

"You did drown, Maka. When I saw you going under and only that bastard came back up, I dived to go and get you. And when I dragged you out of the water… you weren't breathing. I've never been so happy in my life that Black*Star had dragged me to those first-aid classes. And he didn't even listen to the instructor, the only reason he went there was to hit on girls in hopes of doing CPR with them."

He let out an amused chuckle, but I saw that haunted look in his gaze, the events of this afternoon were still plaguing his thoughts. Trying to ignore the blush warming up my face at the idea that Soul had kissed me, then scolding myself internally because he had given me CPR to save my life, thus it did NOT count as a kiss, I started up the conversation from there, in hopes to get his mind off things.

"Did that actually work? I mean, the whole "getting paired up with a girl to practice doing CRP" thing?"

It was already bad enough that I couldn't seem to remember our second encounter, so not remembering the first kiss I had with a guy that I actually had a crush on. Well that was just down right pathetic, so there was no way that I would accept this as a kiss.

"Nope, there was actually a dummy for the CPR training. And the rest of the time we were partnered up together."

I smiled at that. Black*Star could be such a clueless idiot sometimes, and even if he was a loud and self-centered clueless idiot, he was still very caring of his friends.

"So where is Black*Star, and everyone else?"

"Tsubaki has a strict curfew so she left a while ago, Black*Star escorted her back. And your friend Crona said something about not knowing how to deal with hospitals and went back to your apartment… I didn't have anything more important to do, so I just stayed."

He gave a small shrug after his last statement, looking away as if it was nothing, but his fists were stuffed deep into his pockets, straining his yellow leather jacket. He seemed to do that every time that he was worried or uncomfortable. I couldn't help the smile that tugged at my lips. He could be so endearing at times, even when he tried being nonchalant.

"Thank you for saving me, Soul."

I leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss on the corner of his lips, before pulling back, a blush creeping up my cheeks. Giving me his wolfish grin, he took my action as an invitation and got up from the chair besides my bed to sit next to me. Leaning against the headboard, Soul slid his arms around my waist, enclosing me in his warm embrace. I leaned my head against his heart, like I had done earlier today, and once again I felt safe.

"Anytime… just don't try drowning yourself again, I nearly had a heart-attack myself."

I let out a small chuckle as my eyes closed, sleep creeping over us. Maybe we'll leave the hospital hand in hand, and maybe this event did bring us closer to one another. Or perhaps we'll fall into a friendly relationship as we share more of our life stories with one another. What ever the future holds, let it be good or bad, I could only smile at the unspoken promises as he kissed me sweetly on our second date, making my lips tingle as butterflies soared through my stomach. Even if this wasn't a fairy tale, it's always good to hope, from time to time, that a happy ending isn't too far off.

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 **Thank you to all the wonderful people who had the patience to read, fav., follow and/or review.**

 **I hope that you have enjoyed this story! :)**


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